


Write Me Like You Would a Clandestine Meeting Between Lovers - Miraculous inktober oneshots

by walkingfanficgal



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, Connected One Shots, F/M, Fluff, Inktober 2016, Inktober 2017, Inktober 2018, Inktober 2019, Lovesquare - freeform, Not Canon Compliant, One Shot Collection, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Short & Sweet, prompts, sometimes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2019-10-17
Packaged: 2020-11-22 04:22:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20868119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/walkingfanficgal/pseuds/walkingfanficgal
Summary: Short one shots based on the prompts from inktober 2016-2019. Mainly containing fluff or angst - so be prepared for an emotional ride.(More pairings might be added later)





	1. Inktober 2016 & 2017 - Day 1: Fast & Swift

**Author's Note:**

> Since I can't draw, I've decided to do inktober like this instead. 
> 
> The updates are going to be short, and sometimes I'll do connected shorts from the same day but different years. These will be posted in the same chapter.
> 
> This is my first time doing something like this, so I'll try my best to update every day :)
> 
> (Fair warning, this chapter gets quite angsty)

2016 - Day 1: Fast

Wind whipping against her cheeks, she swung, her yo-yo catching on to anything she willed it to, propelling her forward.

She didn’t know where she was going, didn’t care, the only thing that mattered was getting away - as far away as possible.

Another sob tore through her body and she bit back her cry of agony, throwing her yo-yo out with more force than necessary, wanting to go _faster_, to escape.

She kept swinging, not registering the tears that flowed over her mask and down her cheeks before being swept away by the stinging wind. Only listening to the words coursing through her head. Faster, faster, _faster_, escape, _now_.

Her body was on autopilot, had been from the moment it all became too much. She doesn’t know how she got home, only knows that she had. And that as soon she had, she had collapsed, staring at the wall and letting the numbness fill her and her thoughts haunt her. Till she did the only thing that would allow her to escape.

Ignoring the concerned look from Tikki, she had leapt off her balcony as soon as the transformation was complete. Leapt from rooftop to rooftop, willing the stinging wind and the harsh cold would rip her agony away. 

It didn’t. Of course, it didn’t, it wasn’t logical for it to, anyway, but she had hoped. Had hoped it was all just a bad dream.

Then the rain started. Pouring down around her, extinguishing the last of the warmth inside her.

She didn’t notice where she was, didn’t notice the people looking her way. Didn’t see the surprised looks, the questions, the whispers…

_“Is that Ladybug? Is there an akuma?”_

_“No, I don’t think so, we would’ve known - and Chat Noir would have been with her…”_

_“Let’s hope so. I just still don’t understand what she’s doing out - she’s just standing there?”_

_“Do you think she’s hurt?”_

_“Do you think she’s been…”_

Ducking into their old hideout, Ladybug gave in to her emotions and let the tears and the agony take over.

_Why, why, why? Why me? Why now?_

_Why?_

_I wish… I wish I was far away…. Far away from her, from them…_

_I wish I could run… escape…_

_I can’t… can’t do that to my parents… to Chat… to Paris..._

_I’m trapped…_

_I don’t want to be here..._

_... far away…_

_… not here..._

_Escape…_

Looking up, Ladybug wiped the tears from her eyes, tied her hair back anew, and pushed. Pushed back against the pain, the numbness, and let the anger come forth, the determination. 

She stood up, plan forming in her mind already. Opening the cupboard in the corner, the one with the map pinned on it, she grabbed the targets, the punching bag, and the throwing knives. Setting it all up in a circle, punching bag hung in the middle of the circle, she began.

Alternating between throwing knives and throwing punches, she pushed herself.

Pushed herself and her body harder than she had before, willing her movements to be faster, harder, more fluid.

Losing herself in her fast, fluid movements.

2017 - Day 1: Swift

He'd had another fight with his father. And by fight he meant his father had scolded him, insulted his friends, taken away more of his free time and given him more extra-curriculars, while he stood there, silent, like a spineless fool.

He had fled as soon as he could. Ignored the worried look on Plagg's usually smug face, ignored the pounding rain. He leapt, swift as the wind, into the night.

Stalking along rooftops he tried to calm his thoughts, his racing heart, but nothing worked. Shaking his head, he leapt into a four-legged sprint across the buildings, heading to the one place he knew he could release his emotions without hurting anyone: the old hideout.

Usually, the rain drenching him would have made him shudder, but the cold and the rain was the furthest thing from his mind. He leapt into the air, landed again, movements fluid and swift, jagged and rough.

He could feel the numbness creeping up on him, could feel the tears coming, the agony coming. He ran faster, moved swifter - trying to outrun the hurt. To outrun the feelings.

_Why? Why me? Why now?_

_Why? Now that things were going well in school... with her..._

_I wish... I wish I wasn't me... wasn't my father’s son... an Agreste..._

_I wish I was far away... far away from him... from all my 'chores'..._

_I wish I could run away..._

_I can't... can't do that to Nino, to my friends... to my Lady... to Paris..._

_I'm trapped... trapped... I don't want to be here..._

_... not here..._

_... escape..._

_Release..._

Ducking into their old hideout, he let the numbness catch up to him, and he was about to let his feelings consume him, when he heard he wasn't alone. He heard the banging of fists on a punching bag, heard the swish of knives flying through the air, the thump of knives hitting their target, heard the shuffling of feet in a lethal dance.

Curious, he moved closer, careful to keep his footfalls silent, to stay hidden until he identified the trespasser.

What he saw was not what he expected. He saw his Lady, his Ladybug, fighting her heart out. Her eyes hard and lit with determination, her body moving, twisting in ways he hadn't thought possible. He saw the shadows on her face, the dark makeup tearstained cheeks.

He saw her miss the target, saw the knife embed itself in one of the pillars. Saw her frustration, saw the mistake before she made it. Saw her trip over air, saw her launch the knife prematurely.

He felt himself moving forward, lifting his hand. Felt himself catch the knife. And slowly the numbness faded a little.

He walked over to her, met her confused gaze. He took her hands in his and pulled her upright.

They stood together like that for a while, both hurting.

She broke the silence first, "Oh, Chat..." violent sobs tore through her body as she threw herself at him, holding him tight.

The sight of her, his bright, happy Ladybug, sobbing into his neck broke him, and he joined her in their song of pain.

And so, they embraced like that for a while, both sobbing, both healing...


	2. 2019 - Day 1: Ring

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the delay!
> 
> I had to do quite a bit of research for this chapter - enjoy!

2019 – Day 1: Ring 

Perfect. It was perfect. The ring shone and sparkled under the lights, and every twist, every curve of it was perfect. Everything about it screamed _Marinette_ to him. The color (rose-gold), the pave leaf setting (simple, pretty _and_ classy), the stones (an extra touch), the focal stone (pink sapphire – because it reminded him of her) and lastly, it was low-set – so it wouldn’t get caught in anything when she was sewing!

He must have been smiling from ear to ear, for when he looked up at the clerk, she was watching him with a warm smile and a gleam in her eyes.

“This is the one,” he whispered, before clearing his throat and restating, “this is the one.”

Turning around with a smile, she set it in a box, wrapped the box and put it in a bag. While making small talk about who the lucky girl was and when he was going to pop the question, he was mentally planning exactly the what, where and how of the proposal.

Waving goodbye, he walked out of the store with newfound purpose, and a ring, and set about planning the special moment.

-o-

Safe to say, today had been one hell of a stressful day, and with 5 new orders for this week alone – she certainly wasn’t lazing around. She’d gone into a bit of overtime, just to lay down the basics, so it would be easier to pick up where she left off in the morning. Now she was looking forward to a nice evening with Adrien, eating, talking, kicking back on the couch after a long day for both of them.

It was a nice routine they’d fallen into, especially since both of them were quite busy, both during daytime and night-time. And after nearly 8 years, they’re close as ever, and she couldn’t be happier to have him in her life. Just thinking of him and their evening plans made the tension in her shoulders lessen.

Unlocking the door to their apartment, she made her way to the living room and set down her bags.

“Kitty? I’m home!” She called out into the quiet apartment, but there was no response. _Weird_, she thought, and wandered into the kitchen to see if he was hiding there.

He wasn’t, but she did find a note.

_‘Mon ami,_

_Needed some fresh air, so I started patrol early,_

_Rendezvous at the usual spot to compare notes at 8?_

_Love,_

_Adrien’_

Ah, patrol. That was tonight. She nearly forgot about that. _So much for that relaxing evening_. Heading into their bedroom she set down her things on the table and headed to the hidden balcony in the middle of the apartment. _It might do me some good with some stretching and a bit of fresh air, though_, she mused as she transformed.

Smiling at the familiar thrill of it all, she vaulted up into the night sky and let her yo-yo carry her around her usual patrol route.

45 minutes later, it was nearing the time her and Chat usually met up at the top of the Eiffel tower and she had seen nothing, the city was quiet and there were no suspicious types wandering the streets, so she started making her way to ‘their’ spot.

The specific spot at the top of the Eiffel tower had become their regular hangout and meeting spot over the years and had been dubbed the official Ladybug and Chat Noir spot by the people of Paris – where you went if you wanted to spot the two superheroes out of action.

Smiling at all the memories connected to the place, she swung herself up to the spot. And stopped dead in her tracks. Gone was the usual, bland meeting spot she was used to. In its place, there were fairy lights strung up on the beams all around her, blankets and pillows laid out where they sat. Flowers and roses were scattered throughout the whole area, and there was soft jazz playing from somewhere.

“Chaton? What is all this?” no response, “Kitty?”

Slowly the music changes to more romantic jazz, and seemingly from out of nowhere, Chat drops down in front of her, with a rose in his mouth. Unable to help herself, she bursts out laughing. When he doesn’t join in, she glances up at him and sees the sad look on his face and stops laughing immediately. Closing the distance between them, she gently takes his face in her hands and forces him to look at her.

“Did I overdo it? Is this all too much? Is that why you’re laughing?” He asks dejectedly while staring holes into the blankets he’d laid out.

“Oh, Chaton, of course not. The place looks gorgeous! I just wasn’t expecting all this – especially not you dropping down out of nowhere with a rose in your mouth. It looked like something out of a cartoon, or one of those shitty rom-coms you love…” Stroking her thumb over his cheekbone, she waited for him to look her in the eyes, and when he did, she sent him one of her most loving smiles.

“Really?” The hollowness in his eyes receded, and she was relieved to see the joy and that special sparkle return. “Well in that case, let’s get this party started!”

Laughing she sat down in one of the big pillow clusters and looked fondly at her sweet boyfriend. It had been almost 8 years since they revealed their identities to each other and ended the mutual pining they had gone through for years. They’d been together ever since. Now in their mid-twenties, they were no less busy, but they had made a life for themselves – a little corner of Paris that was theirs alone.

Bringing her out of her trip down memory lane, Chat turned back around to face her and took both her hands in his. He looked her in the eyes and when he opened his mouth, Marinette knew what came out would be serious.

“Look, Bugaboo – Marinette – I know you were looking forward to a relaxing evening at home, but I wanted to do something special for you. And I know our anniversary is coming up soon, but I just couldn’t wait.” Marinette’s lips parted in shock, her brain taking a guess at what exactly he meant and coming up with only one answer. “You mean the world to me, and I am so extremely grateful to have you in my life. Not only are you the most talented designer and seamstress I have ever met, you’re also an amazing person. Your kindness and generosity warms my heart – and the way you stand up for others is incredible! You are selfless, care so much about others, and about what’s right. And these are just a couple of the reasons why I love you.

“I have been so blessed to have you in my life for the last eight years, and I hope we will be together for many more. Which is why I have to ask…”

Trailing off, he detransforms and pulls something out of his back pocket. She stares at him, sure of what’s coming but unsure of how to react. Getting down on one knee, he flips the lid of the box up to reveal a sparkling, stunning ring.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng, will you marry me?”

Letting out a squeal of excitement, she lunges at him, detransforms in mid-air and hugs him tightly.

“Yes!”

And so the heroes of the city of love started a new chapter of their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked this cavity-inducing fluff!
> 
> here's the link to the ring that was the inspiration for their engagement ring: https://www.jamesallen.com/gemstones/all-gemstones/?RingMatchID=63350


	3. 2019 - Day 2: Mindless

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it took so long, more updates are on the way!

** 2019 – Day 2: Mindless **

It was just another regular Wednesday, just another regular day of school, classes, gossiping with Alya and drooling over, ahem, _gazing_ after Adrien. Just another regular day of sketching designs mindlessly while half-listening to the teachers’ lectures, another day of hoping that Hawkmoth was otherwise occupied and wouldn’t mess up her daily routine again.

However, today was also different. Today was different for a matter of reasons. Firstly, it was different because she had actually gotten a decent amount of sleep, and secondly, it was different because even though she had actually gotten nine hours of sleep last night (_nine_!) she still felt exhausted – more exhausted than she did the mornings after Hawkmoth’s newest villain had chased her and Chat around Paris into the wee hours of the morning.

It was different, because she’d had a terrible nightmare – the ones you can’t wake up and escape from – the first of the kind in years.

It was different because what she saw, what happened in that nightmare, was not something that was easily misplaced and forgotten in the deeper folds of the brain. No, the content was still fresh in her mind, despite it being several hours ago now, and it was playing on a continuous loop on the inside of her eyes.

And lastly, it was different, because instead of doodling designs during classes all day, she was just doodling. Doodling hard lines, soft curved, jagged corners. Vague shading – lines to shade rather than solid gradients – pen working by itself, not bothering to let her know what it was attempting.

She felt her hands works, move across the page, but had no mental image of what she was creating.

Had she not still been so shaken over the nightmare, she would have given it more though, but for the time being, she just let her pen wander mindlessly across the page.

What felt like 5 minutes and an eternity later, the bell rang and broke her out of her daze. Gathering her things, she made her way home, declining Alya’s offer to hang out, and instead opting to try to clear her head.

She greeted her parents and spun an excuse about having a bucketload of homework - to explain closing herself off in her room.

She barely had any homework, but opted to do it later, and instead went up to her balcony, with her drawing from today and a blanket for comfort. Once up there, she stared into the distance, eyes skimming over the rooftops, for a while – gathering her thoughts.

Finally, she turned to Tikki, and met the curious, worried eyes of her kwami. Opening her mouth, she started explaining why she had been so off during the day, describing the nightmare, the horrors she’d seen. The akuma that had reigned terror all over Paris.

While she was talking, Tikki floated over and nuzzled against her cheek, instantly making her feel better. When she finished talking, she looked down at Tikki to see her kwami still listening intently.

“I’m glad you told me, Marinette, I know it takes a lot of effort to voice these kinds of things, rather than keep them to yourself.” Tikki nuzzled her chosen’s cheek and floated up in front of her eyes, “are you feeling better now? Talking about these things not only lifts a weight from your shoulders, but usually also makes you feel better.”

“Actually, now that you mention it, I do feel better now,” _less haunted_, getting up from the chair on her balcony, and made her way down the ladder slowly, taking the drawing with her. She was about to put it in the drawer with all of the other illustrations she had made over the years but would never show anyone, when she paused. Turning around, she grabbed the pins from the box on her desk and leaned over to the one _mildly_ empty spot on her pinboard. Nearly every centimetre was covered with magazine clippings, designs – both half-finished and completed – and various quotes or images that inspired her.

“Thanks, Tikki – for being there for me, and for understanding.”

And now, above them all, hang the sketch she had been working on all day. Harsh lines, jagged curves, lines as shading. It all made sense when she looked at the drawing. A skull, open in the top and the side to show darkness, nothing. And above the swirls of darkness circulating the silhouette of the skull, was the word: ‘MINDLESS’ in jagged letters to match the drawing.

“Always, Marinette…”

**Author's Note:**

> I know I'm a bit behind, but this is an idea I just had earlier today - I'll try my best to catch up properly in the weekend.
> 
> Please tell me what you though in the comments - feedback is always appreciated :)


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